Nobody needed a calendar when Joe Gibbs coached the Redskins. You could tell how close kickoff was by his mood. Especially before the first game of the season. Two days before that game Gibbs was tighter than an ex-Hollywood starlet’s face after a few nips and tucks.
This from a guy who had coached hundreds of games. Yet every one was Armageddon; every one was the biggest thing he was about to do. And it showed on his face.
Meanwhile, Jim Zorn, about to coach his first game, stood about Tuesday as if he were a neighbor chatting about his yard. Calm; cool; and, yes, collected.
OK, there was one minor nod to this being his first game. He woke up at 4 a.m. that morning. Not in a pool of sweat or excited about his possible big night.
“I woke up this morning thinking about plays,” Zorn said, “thinking about red zone and short yardage and things like that. I was thinking about preparing — have we given thought to the details? Have we given our players a plan that we can execute. Those are the things I’m continually hatching over.”
Gibbs worried about stuff, too. He wore it on his sleeve. If he were going to snap at reporters, it would be on a Friday before a Sunday game. His press gatherings were famous for lasting two minutes on these days, with short answers to every question.
Zorn spoke Tuesday for 20 minutes, on topics ranging from daily injury updates to the first play he’s going to run (he wouldn’t tell us what it was, but he was reminded that Gibbs’ first play in 2004 went for a touchdown).
“No pressure,” Zorn joked.
Naturally, he laughed off the pressure. The guy has faced it before.
“I’ve been a quarterback in the NFL,” Zorn said.
In other words, he’s used to this sort of stage, just not the position. And he’s anxious about this game even if he’s uncertain about what to expect.
“Do I think we’re hard as rock ready?” he said. “I don’t know. There are some unknowns.”
But the one known is that he handles the week before a game differently than his predecessor. What that means beyond this is anyone’s guess.
